marinetraffic.com

You can find a specific ship or port on MarineTraffic in two main ways: search by name in the ship database, or browse the live map by area. Searching by name is the fastest route when you already know the vessel or port you want; the map works better when you only know roughly where to look or want to see what is nearby.

Search for a ship by name

MarineTraffic maintains a searchable database of vessels, described on the site as covering more than 550,000 active and decommissioned ships. To use it:

1. Enter the ship's name in the search field.
2. Run the search and review the matching results.
3. Open the vessel's detail page.

The detail page is where the useful information sits: the vessel's position, its details, and ship photos. If several ships share a similar name, compare the results before opening one, since the database includes both active and decommissioned vessels.

Expected result: a vessel page showing the ship's location and identifying information, rather than a raw list of names.

Find a port

Ports can be located the same two ways:

• By search — look up the port by name and open its page.
• By map — navigate to the region and select the port marker.

Either route gets you to the port's location on the map. If you are unsure of the exact port name, the map route avoids the problem of guessing the spelling.

Browse the live map by area

When you do not have a name to search, use the near real-time ships map:

1. Move to the region you care about.
2. Look at the vessel and port markers in that area.
3. Select a marker to open the corresponding ship or port.

This is the practical approach for questions like "what is currently near this port" or "which ships are in this stretch of water," where you are browsing rather than targeting one known vessel.

Choosing between the two methods

Common sticking points

• Name ambiguity. Similar names return multiple results, and the database mixes active and decommissioned vessels, so check the detail page before assuming you have the right ship.
• Spelling. Port and ship names are often transliterated differently; if a search returns nothing, try the map instead.
• Coverage. Positions come from AIS, so a vessel only appears when it is transmitting and within receiver range. A ship you expect to see may simply not be reporting at that moment.

MarineTraffic is a global ship tracking and maritime intelligence platform built on AIS (Automatic Identification System) data. It shows near real-time vessel positions on a live ships map, lets you search a database of more than 550,000 active and decommissioned vessels, and provides vessel details, photos, and port locations. It is useful if you want to see where a specific ship is, monitor activity around a port, or look up basic information about a vessel. It is not a source of official navigational or legal records, so treat positions as indicative rather than authoritative.

What MarineTraffic actually does

The platform collects AIS signals that ships broadcast and turns them into a map-based view of global shipping traffic.

• Live ships map — near real-time positions of vessels around the world, plotted geographically.
• Vessel search — look up individual ships by name or other identifiers across a database of over 550,000 active and decommissioned vessels.
• Vessel details — information tied to a specific ship, plus ship photos where available.
• Port and ship locations — find where ports and vessels are using the map.

Information you can get

How to use it

1. Open the live map to get a global overview of vessel positions.
2. Search for a vessel by name if you have a specific ship in mind — this queries the ships database.
3. Open the vessel's page to see its details and any available photos.
4. Zoom into a port or region on the map to see which vessels are nearby.

Expected result: you locate a vessel or port and read the information associated with it. The main limitation is coverage — AIS depends on ships transmitting and on receivers picking up the signal, so gaps and delays are normal.

When it's the right tool

Use MarineTraffic when you need a quick, map-based view of ship positions or basic vessel lookups. If you need official documentation, regulatory records, or guaranteed accuracy for operational decisions, this is not the right source — it is an intelligence and tracking view, not an authority.

MarineTraffic tracks ships primarily through AIS (Automatic Identification System) signals that vessels broadcast, then plots those positions on a near real-time map. The data is usually current within minutes in well-covered coastal areas, but it can be delayed or missing where AIS reception is weak — for example, mid-ocean or in regions with sparse receiver coverage. So the map is best understood as "near real time," not a guaranteed live feed for every vessel everywhere.

Where the position data comes from

AIS is a radio system that certain ships use to transmit their identity and location. MarineTraffic collects those transmissions and turns them into map positions and vessel details.

The site describes its coverage as a global ship tracking service with a live ships map, and it maintains a database of more than 550,000 active and decommissioned vessels. That database is what lets you search for a specific ship and view vessel details and photos, not just watch dots move on a map.

What AIS actually carries

An AIS message typically includes:

• A vessel identifier (such as MMSI or IMO number)
• Position (latitude and longitude)
• Course and speed over ground
• Heading and navigational status
• Timestamp of the transmission

Because these fields come from the vessel's own equipment, the accuracy of what you see depends on the transmitter working correctly and on a receiver actually catching the signal.

How signals reach the map

AIS is a short-range radio signal, so getting it onto a global map requires two layers of reception.

1. Shore-based receivers

Coastal stations pick up AIS transmissions from ships within radio range of land. This is why coverage is densest near ports, coastlines, and busy shipping lanes. In these areas, positions tend to refresh frequently and appear close to real time.

2. Satellite reception

Satellites can receive AIS from vessels beyond the range of shore stations, which extends coverage into open ocean. Satellite reception, however, is not continuous for a given ship — a satellite only "sees" a vessel when its orbit passes overhead, so updates in remote areas can be spaced further apart.

The practical result: the same ship may update every few minutes near a coast and much less often in the middle of an ocean.

How current the data really is

"Near real time" is the honest description. What you see is the last position MarineTraffic received, not necessarily where the ship is at this exact second.

Two things follow from this. First, a position on the map always reflects a past moment, so treat it as the latest known location rather than a live coordinate. Second, gaps are normal, not a sign that something is wrong with the site — they usually reflect reception limits or the vessel's own equipment.

Why some ships or areas show gaps

• Reception limits. AIS is radio-based, so distance from a receiver matters. Areas far from shore stations and outside satellite passes will have thinner coverage.
• Equipment and configuration. If a vessel's AIS is off, faulty, or misconfigured, its data won't appear or may be incomplete.
• Regulation. Not every vessel is required to carry or operate AIS, so some ships simply aren't represented.
• Congestion and processing. In very busy areas, high volumes of transmissions can affect how quickly positions refresh.

How to use the map with the right expectations

1. Search for a specific vessel using the ships database if you want details on a known ship rather than browsing the map.
2. Check the timestamp on a position before relying on it — that tells you how current the data actually is.
3. Read coastal positions as fresher than open-ocean ones, and expect wider gaps offshore.
4. Treat missing data as a coverage or equipment question first, before assuming anything about the vessel's activity.

In short, MarineTraffic gives you a near real-time picture built from AIS signals collected by shore stations and satellites. It is highly current in well-covered coastal waters and less so in remote areas, so the timestamp and location context matter as much as the dot on the map.

MarineTraffic lets you look up both active and decommissioned vessels, and for each one you can typically see identity details, position information, and sometimes photos. It is best suited to general lookups and getting a picture of global vessel distribution, not to tasks that require guaranteed real-time accuracy or official records.

What the database covers

According to MarineTraffic's own description, its ships database contains more than 550,000 active and decommissioned vessels. That single figure tells you two important things:

• Active vessels are the main focus — ships currently operating and transmitting AIS signals.
• Decommissioned vessels are also included, which means the database is not only a live tracking tool but also a reference archive of ships that no longer sail.

This makes it useful for both "where is this ship right now" questions and "what was this ship" questions.

Types of vessels you can search

MarineTraffic describes its coverage as "vessels around the world," and the searchable database spans the global fleet rather than a single category. In practice, the vessel types you will encounter include:

The exact type labels shown for any individual vessel depend on what that vessel reports and how it is registered, so treat the category as a guide rather than a fixed classification.

Details available for each vessel

For a given ship, the kind of information you can expect to find falls into a few groups:

Identity and basic information

• Vessel name
• Unique identifiers used to distinguish one ship from another
• Vessel type and general characteristics

Position and movement

• Location on the near real-time ships map
• Position relative to ports and other vessels

Visual and reference material

• Photos for some vessel entries — not every ship has one, so photo availability varies by vessel.

Port and location context

• Port locations and ship positions viewable on the map, so you can place a vessel in geographic context.

Because the source material does not specify exact field-by-field data for every vessel, the reliable statement is this: identity and position basics are broadly available, while extras like photos are present only for some entries.

What it is good for — and what it is not

Good for:

• General lookups of a specific ship or port
• Understanding global vessel distribution
• Checking basic identity and position details
• Finding photos where they exist

Not ideal for:

• Anything requiring guaranteed exact real-time precision (the map is described as near real time)
• Official or legal records — this is a tracking and reference service, not an authority
• Assuming every vessel has complete data, since coverage and detail vary by ship

How to decide if it fits your need

Ask yourself which of these you are doing:

• "I want to find one ship and see where it is." MarineTraffic fits well.
• "I want a broad view of ships in an area." The near real-time map fits well.
• "I need certified, legally authoritative vessel records." Look elsewhere; this is a general reference and tracking tool.
• "I need to be certain a position is exact to the second." Treat the data as near real time, not guaranteed exact.

If your task is general querying or building a sense of global vessel distribution, the database's combination of active and decommissioned vessels, identity and position details, and occasional photos covers it.